After graduating college, Austin Curtis returns home without really knowing what to expect. Time has helped her mature, but through the years she spent away from Tulsa, there was a nagging in her mind about how she left everyone...more specifically...
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More than anything, Austin wanted to dream of simpler times. She wanted to fall asleep and be reminded of the gentle moments she and Dallas shared throughout their lives—to drift away on a peaceful memory from back when she had the tiniest bit of hope that he could be someone wouldn't hurt her, but that wasn't the case.
Despite being cognizant enough in her slumber to know she was asleep Austin still couldn't take command of her dreams. When in this state, usually the only thing she could control was her ability to pull herself from her sleep, yet for some unknown reason her body refused to budge. When she was alone in her apartment during the arduous years she spent away from her family, her dreams always centered around one of two things—the disillusioned, lucid concept of the positive what ifs she could have had with Dallas had she fled in fear; or a reenactment of the horrors she'd experienced prior to leaving Tulsa. She'd wake up in a cold sweat at the memory of being thrown into a pool table, or the panic of hearing the words her brother was missing and a boy was found dead in their neighborhood. The nightmares were simply a reminder that despite running away from Tulsa and escaping in her education, she couldn't run away from the problems that she faced there.
Unfortunately, her first night back in Tulsa didn't prove any different than every night she had experienced for the past three years. After a few measly hours of restless sleep Austin woke up gasping for air, hair clinging to her neck, damp with sweat, her heart pounding as her eyes desperately scanning her surroundings to find something safe to ground her rampantly flooding emotions.
Her heart felt as empty as the bones of this house. Never had she known the home to be so still and silent; there had always been some source of life and joy rattling about throughout the structure, yet here she was, seemingly alone in a home destined to never know loneliness. It was hardly past seven-fifteen, and as she remembered her family's tradition regarding who makes breakfast, Austin pulled herself from the warmth and comfort of her bed and trudged towards the kitchen to uphold the expectation she and her brothers had agreed upon after their parents' passing. However, upon leaving her room she was met with the aroma of freshly brewing coffee fluttering into her lungs. She wasted no time in grabbing a mug and pouring herself a cup before quizzically looking around, searching for whoever could be awake. The familiar racket that came with the gang's presence was nonexistent, nor was the constant bickering and banter that was an eternal side effect of having three brothers. It wasn't until her eyes fell over the immensely pregnant woman sitting in the living room alongside Austin's youngest brother that any confusion she had regarding the silence dissipated.
"Morning, Austin," Ponyboy greeted. He watched his sister pace into the living room, all to aware of the way she wore sleeplessness in her appearance.
"Hey, Pony," Austin smiled down at her brother as she cradled the warm mug in her still clammy hands. "Sorry I passed out so early last night," she tried apologizing to them both.
"It's quite alright. Traveling all day makes people tired." Gracie offered an excuse for the younger woman, but her intent wasn't lost on either of the Curtis siblings.
